You’ve been sick your whole life?

Yesterday, I was at a meeting where the audience was decidedly not a diabetes one. And in explaining my experiences with diabetes, I had to give an overview of what type 1 diabetes is and how long I’ve been living with it.

“I was diagnosed at the age of seven. It will be 32 years this September …”

Or maybe because it’s been relatively quiet as a disease, especially when I consider what it’s capable of accomplishing.

Checking blood sugars? Taking insulin? I don’t feel sick. Even when I’m really low or naggingly high, I don’t feel sick, exactly. Those moments are rotten but they have passed so far. There’s a strange barrier that I’ve put up, mentally, between the diabetes stuff and the “real people sick” sort of stuff.

“I’ve had diabetes for most of my life, yes.” I said, letting the definition of “sick” linger a little longer, uneasy about what may come, unsure if I’ll make room for that word.

This strikes a chord for me. I find myself calling my diabetes a “condition” rather than a “disease” for similar reasons. I can be healthy but that comes with conditions, like taking extra steps to ensure I stay healthy. I guess it’s a strategy to maintain my emotional wellbeing in addition to all the work to maintain my physical wellbeing.

I agree with your view, Kerri, even though I’ve only been living w surgical type one for 5 years. I’m a “relative” newbie compared to you but I don ‘t consider this portion of my life as sick. The pancreatitis that forced me to have the surgery that made me have surgical diabetes…now that was sick!!!! But since then I’m dealing with and managing my BG’s and nutritional changes in a “healthy” manner.

I agree with what you say. I have been a T1D for 12 of my 48 years and I look at it as more of an inconvenience that I need to manage. I think I am also healthier than most non-diabetics. I eat well, exercise and monitor my health.
I work with two diabetics that are off at least once a week because of high/low/other ‘problems’ and it annoys me as most of it is bad management/laziness/using it for a day off. And it reflects on others with the condition. It discourages bosses from relying on us more as the consensus is ‘well he/she will be off work half the time so ask someone healthy’.
Craig – Jozi – South Africa

I remember one Thanksgiving as we stated things we were grateful for, I shared “my excellent health” as one of mine. My daughter asked, “But what about diabetes?” I explained that I’ve always felt healthy, distinctly not sick, in living well with type one. Even on my frustrating days, with lows and highs, I don’t consider myself sick.

When asked (and sometimes just being prompted is enough), I always say that I’ve got a (chronic) disease, but that I’m not sick. In Spanish this works out beautifully because its the same word: “enfermedad (cronica)” and “(estar) enfermo”

Hi, I would like share a story about a Yogi man, who is leaving his country for abroad for job, but before leave he saw a 7yr old girl, who parents left her due to the problem of Type 1 diabetes, her parents was not so well economically and socially that’s why they couldn’t afford the life long expense of medication and diet. This 7yr old girl living with her aunt, after hearing the story this girl, the yogi man decided to do something for these type of children in India. Yogi man started raise funds by meeting peoples, companies and hospitals. With this fund he was going to able free distribution of Insulin, Glucometer and Nutritional diet every month as well as provide weekly Yoga Therapy, the result of this was control A1c, healthy and stress free life. Yogi man was so much happy, but this happiness was not for the long term. The positive effect of result of 7yr old girl in good health and normal life, lots of children with type 1 diabetes started refer to Yogi man by the doctors, hospitals and other area of states for help of T1 DM management kits. Then Yogi man decided to help all the children. Now he is helping continues from the last 10 years more than 200 children with type 1 diabetes. In his weekly camp, all the children getting free Insulin, Gluco-strips, Gluco-meter, Nutritional Diet, Needles, Syringes as well as Free Therapeutic Yogic Exercise, Psychological counseling and Diabetes education, end is not here, this foundation also organized fee of cost quarterly HbA1c Camp, yearly full body examination and blood test to avoid Type 1 diabetes complication and picnic tour. The result of this that — all the parents are living with their diabetic children happily and enjoying stress free life because no one alone here.
There are more than 200 type 1 diabetes families are share their problems and solution under one roof, this roof called Yog Dhyan Foundation, there are still number of financially poor children with type 1 diabetes waiting for the same support. By donating only $50 monthly, you can support the one child for one month and request is this only if you are really interest to do for a child suffering with T1 Diabetes then support at least for one year or till the age of 18yr, so he/she can setup them-self and stated their own earning for medical expense them-self. For more details please visit at http://www.yogdhyanfoundation.com

if the highs and lows experience of diabetes spang on us on occasion, like a cold, then we would say we were ” sick”
It is a ” condition ” that we adapt to as type 1’s
We roll with the punches !
We’re a tough bunch !ria

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NONE of the information on this site is medical advice. If you are thinking about making changes in your diabetes care, talk with your doctor. I am not a doctor.

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